Seat position lock



June 3, 1952 R, F, TA1-QM 2,599,079

v SEAT POSITION Loox Filed sept. 27, 1948 s seew-sneet 1 AT ToR/vsys- June 3, 1952 R. F. TA'roM 2,599,079

SEAT POSITION LOCK Filed Sept. 27, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FE. E. S ill-11|; R

' 1N ENTOR. RAYMOND 7r0M ATTORNEYS June 3, 1952 R. F. TATOM SEAT PosxTioN Locx 'Filed sept. 2v, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

RAYMOND .Ff TA1-0M A TTORNEYS satented June 3, 1.952

SEAT POSITION LOCK Raymond Fred Tatom, Puyallup, Wash., assignor to Boeing Airplane Company, Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Delaware Application September 27, 1948, Serial No. 51,429

11 Claims.

Reclining chairs upon vehicles, such as airplanes, must be readily `adjustable by the occupant to various different positions, from `upright to full reclining, yet must automatically remain in any adjusted position notwithstanding shocks or other forces applied to it, due for instance to movement of the vehicle or of the occupant.

Seat positioning and locking means are known which will enable the occupant by operation of a simple control device to adjust the seat to any desired position, and upon his release of such device to retain the seat in such adjusted position. Ordinarily, however, such seat positioning means can only be released vby again manipulating the occupants control device. This control device is located conveniently to a seated occupant, but is not readily reached or manipulated by a perso-n standing near by or walking past. At times it is desirable that the seat elements be easily movable to their upright positions by an attend-ant walking past the seats, and without the necessity of such attendant pausing to reach down and release the lock of each individual seat, at such a time for instance as when -the vehicle is unoccupied, and it is desired to tidy it up or to clean it out. More particularly it is desirable, in seats having the capability of ready adjustment by the occupants, and of retention in any adjusted position, to enable the stewardess, merely by walking forwardlyalong the aisle, and by pressing lightly forwardly on the backs 'of any seats that may bein reclining position, to adjust these seats to their upright positions, thereby giving to the cabin an appearance of neatness and uniformity. The accomplishment of the ends inidcated is a primary object of the present invention.

It is a further object oi the presen-t invention to employ seat positioning and locking means of known type, but to incorporate therewith in simple manner further mechanism enabling the positioning of the seats in upright position from a more greatly reclining position merely by light forward pressure on the .back of the seat, or similar manipulation of a seat element.

It is an object, in mechanism wherein the seat is locked in various adjusted positions by ya xedly located cramping lever acting upon a rod shiftable lengthwise in accordance with adjustment of they seat, to provide means acting positively with predetermined force to move the cramping lever into rod-locking position, yet to allow sufficient freedom oi `movement or lost motion Vbetween the cramping lever and the means wherebi7 itsH movement is eiected, to enable the cramping lever automatically to lock the rod even more securely under the influence of forces generated by the shifting about of the chairs occupant; additionally, it is another object to provide mechanism of this sort wherein release of the lock is n-ot ordinarily accomplished merely by bottoming of the lost-motion means, but only vupon -application of additional force after bottoming, sufficient to overcome a resilient force of predetermined value.

A still further object of the invention is to provide mechanism to the ends already indicated, which shall be simple, rugged, and dependable, which adds but little to the weight of the airplane, and which involves no additional .problems of installation or installation cost, nor of servicing.

Withl these objects in mind, and others as will appear m-ore vfully hereinafter, the present invention comprises the seat position lock herein shown and hereinafter described and claimed, and the novel combination thereof with the seat and its supporting framework, all to the ends indicated above.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is illustrated in a practical form, but it Will be understood that the particular f-orm, details, and nature of the individual parts, and to a certain degree their relationship to one another, may be varied in accordance with the principles of the invention as hereinafter made clear, yet without departing from the spirit of that invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of such a seat, the seat and its framework being in shadow view, and the seat position lock mechanism alone being in full lines, and Figure 2 is in effect a section through the same at the .plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view at` the point of securement of -the seat position lock to the framework.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are similar views, generally in plan, but partially in section, illustrating three different operative relationships of the parts of the mechanism.

Figure '7 is a transverse sectional view, the

viewpoint being indicated by the line 'l-T of Figure 6, and the position of the parts corresponding to their positions in Figure 6. -j

Figure 8 is in general a plan view o-f the parts in the position represented in Figure 4.

As representative of a suitable seat with which such a seat position lock may be operatively associated. the seat is shown in Figures 1 and 2 as comprising a seat frame and cushion S, a

back element B, and frame mechanism indicated at F and at A. These frame elements may be supported upon the floor or xed to any other suitable support. The seat and back are hingedly connected, as at H, and the back is pivotally mounted as at P to the framework. The seat element S is conveniently supported near its forward edge by, rollers 'R runningjiipo longitudinallyidisposed tracks T which :ineffect constitute part of the framework A.

By the arrangement described, or by any equivalent arrangement, the seat willslide. forwardly as the .back tilts rearwardly, andthe two tend to come more nearly,v into aicomirio'nfhorzontal plane. more nearly upright the seat slides rearwardly and drops downwardly at its rearedge, as. comparison of the dash line and dot-'dash line 'positions of Figure 2 will show. Y Y

Positioning of the seat elements in any such position vis controlled by the occupant through convenient mechanism, such astheBowdenwire Wyergtendng from a button orcontrol knob K at afconvenient point on the frame Fgto rmechanism -which is about to be described, and-which locatedinthis instance beneath the seatelement. S'but,;which may be operatively connected tothegback Bvby means of arodjI connected at itsrear end to the back B onto a bracket by which depends beneath the back.

'The rod, I isguided for movement in thedireton of itsleng-th at I` and I Iin attingi generallyindicated by the, numeral I2. 'This tting isprefe'rably mounted through the mediumoffa unversaljorgimbal mountcGinthe'frame A. So

supported andguided, the rod I moves. coincidentally with tilting movement of the seat. As the seatgtilts the-more towardreclining position the rodzl moves forwardly, and asithe seatmoves more toward vthe upright position the rod'moves rearwardly. lBy fixing therodjinposition itiol- "lowsthatfthe seatjis correspondingly fixed in ipfosition.'

The rod can be secured in positionby means of Ea cramping levervZ, which in Veffect is 'a lever with'a h'ole through whichlthe rddIeXtendsf-the 'holefbeing slightly oversize, so thatlwhenthe cramping lever is generally :perpendicular -vto the 1'6d,24the,rodmay'run freelyth-rou'gh it, but when the cramping lever 21 isappreci'ably inclinedir'elativet'otherod it-'en'g'ages an'dbin'ds or cramps the rodlatthe "two opposite sides, `and'th'ereby `holds the rod` against movemntin'ithe direction at :a substantially nxed 'fulcruin represented by the Tpin 723',- received. within VILaslotf(-1.2-l'vvlf1icli extends lengthwise of a studzS.. '.Du'rng thefreleasin'g action -thepinis bottomed at one endof this' 'slot S32; but at certain Y other times it :is not,

as will appear hereafter. The Studis guided at Y veweafiri'feigure s,A the 'weight 'fof the occupant openssl-,femeninas urgedfthe fcdl'fforwafdly;

Conversely, aslthe seat is" tilted l and the -pin 23 which was bottomed at the right end of the slot 32 during the mechanical cramping operation has been shifted to the left, further cramping the lever, without disturbing the xity of the fulcrum 23, 32.

At the opposite end thecramping lever 2 is engaged by Vmeans operable by the occupant at K through theBowden wire W to swing the cramping lever, when -a change oiV position is desired, more nearly into a position perpendicular to the Vrod I, and operable also upon release of the operating device K by the occupant to automatically return the cramping lever to its inclined rod-secured.V position. rAny 4suitable means to that end ma'ybe'employedand it is to be understood that the nie'clianismabout to be described is merely representative of'any other equivalent or suitable mechanism that may be employed. For example, anecc'er'itrc or cam 4 is pivotally mounted at 4I in the fitting I2, and the cani l is thereby received andheld inthe bifurcated end -24 vof. the cramping lever -2, and byits oscillation about its supporting Ycenter dI may 'rock the cramping lever 2, between rod-secured and rod-released positions. The cam member Al, by a connection at c2, outwardly fromithe pivot center I, is operatively conneotedito theendof the Bowden wire W'as for instance bymeansof'the set screw 43, and a compression spring iQ-acts thereon, tending to rotate the cammember. il into the position of- Figure 4, which corresponds to Yrod-secured position. A stop finger 4d, engageablewith the fitting.y I2, limitsisuch rockingmovemen't. The cam '4, has a flat '45 fora Vpurpose which will shortly appear. Y

Itxis clear that Vwithpartsin theiposition of Figure 4, which isthe 4-ro'rrnal rod-secured or seateloclied position, thefrod. Iheld immovably againsm'ovement*tofthe.left in the. figure, vin thesen'se of downward swinging ,ot-the seat back, by.A reason of the inclinedY orY cramped` positoniof thecrampingllever 2. TheSpringIl,factingupon thecam member had tiltedfthecramping lever 2 .about its ;fixedlpivot23, to .nove anl to .retain p'a'r'ts in this;position, and thew normal effe'c'ztl of thelweightz'o'r pressure ofthe occupant :against the aback B, tending.' to shovethe `rod "I Ylforwardly, has only accentuated 'the cramping Jaction, by shiftingvthe'pin 23 to A.the vleft inits Islo't 32,and has thusci'arrip'edi-parts the. more.tightly..k Any such forward or Ll'eftwardV movement ,of the: pin 2 3 is aboutthecam Ias afulc'rum, and-is'accomplislied -in opposition to the light,y spring 20. The spring '-30 :has `rno part in this latter l action, since its function is merely `to ho'lcllthe'stud- 3 and its slotSZ fixed inlposition asafulcrumgabout which the cramping lever 2 may Whenever theoccupant 4of lth'e seat ldesires to change 'hi's'positiom whether to tilt the lseat more lgreatly toward reclining position :or I more greatly towardupright Lposition, he hasonl-yto manipulate th'e `k/'no'b -K-gv -and-I-threbyto pull upon tneo'wdenA wiselvv-,i-which 'viulrtatethe cam, -in a manner shown in `niguna v,5,1 and #in opposition "to the s'pring ,-`tl fierel5y vonce more bottoming Ythe-pin '23 at -thei-right-hand end -of trici-S1015 32,- an'd swinging the .cramping ieve 2 about this pin-Z-asfa fuloru'm into a position more nearly fperpendi'cularto -therod I.V In this more Tor less'l perpendicular position =the Lcramping 'or wedging action is released, vand the Arod lI, under control of its connection v.to 4the seatelements themselves, may slideforwardly or rear- Y 4bottomed at the right end of slot 32.

vice at K is released, and extension of the spring 40 restores parts to the normal rod-secured position of Figure 4, except as the pin 23 would be n This is the normal manner of operating the device. The spring 3l)` still has had no operative function, It will be clear, however,l that without more than this, it would vbe always necessary to release the rod by operation of the' control device at K before the seat could be'shifted into upright position.

But now if it is desired to urge the seat to it upright position merely byL pressure upon the back, this pressure upon4 the backVA acts upon the rod I, tending to move the rod to the right as viewed in Figure 6, or in the direction of the arrow X. Now, through the cramping interengagement between the rod I and the cramping lever 2, the tendency is toI move the cramping lever 2 at first bodily to the right. Its upper end may not move farther to the right than the limited distance that may be allowed by the ilat 45, being held by the cam 4. Its pin 23, however, can bottom in the slot 32, and the force is thereby transmitted from the rod I through the still-cramped lever 2 to the stud 3, and if sufficient force is applied, the spring 30 will be'compressed, in the manner indicated in Figure 6, and thereby the cramping lever 2 may swing, but now about its cam 4 as a fulcrum, into a nearly perpendicular position with respect to the rod I. Regardless of how the cramping lever attains this relatively perpendicular position, whenever it is in or near that position its engagement of the rod I is released, and now the rod is free to slide in the sense of the arrow X. Because of the very considerable mechanical advantage of the seat elements themselves, only a small amount of force applied forwardly to the upper end of the back B is needed to move the seat parts into their upright position, but no ordinarily exerted amount of pressure on the upper edge of the back in the opposite sensethat is, tending to move it into a reclining positionwill effect such movement, because the action is then merely to cramp the cramping lever 2 the more tightly upon the rod I.

Whenever the seat has been thus moved by pressure upon its back into upright position the displacing force on the rod I ceases, the spring 39 expands again, and once again causes cramping of the lever 2 upon the rod, to retain parts in their attained upright position. 'Ihe seat is again ready for occupancy, and for adjustment by release of the cramping lever through the medium of the control member K, in a manner already described.

The flat at 45 serves a function only when the back is shoved forwardly by hand. If the seats mechanical advantage is large, any such forward shoving, reacting as a pull to the right on rod I and tending to rotate lever 2 at once about cam 4, would immediately release the binding of the lever 2 upon the rod, taking up the slight slack in the slot 32, before any compression of spring 30 occurs. It is preferable that such slippage occur only after some predetermined force, not likely to be accidental, is applied to the back to compress spring 30 by some amount. If a pull to the right (arrow X) on rod I will bodily shift lever 2 to the right until pin 23 bottoms in slot 32, and not until then will create a moment about cam 4, such result can be achieved. That result follows from the use of the fiat 45, so located that in the cramped position vof Figure 5 the lever 2 must move bodily to the right before such dextral movement tends to rotate the lever about the cam 4; thereafter further movement, accompanied by compression of spring 30, is necessary before the levers grip on rod I is released.

I claim as my invention: Y

1. A locking mechanism comprising, in comblnation, a rod movable lengthwise, a cramping lever Vengageable at an intermediate portion thereof with opposite sides of said rod when disposed in one angular position relative thereto, to retain'the rod against lengthwise movement in either sense relative to said lever, but disengageable to enable lengthwiserelative movement of the rod when swung into a different angular position relative thereto, means operatively engaged with one end of said cramping lever to constitute a normally substantially fixed fulcrum therefor, lever shifting means forming a second lever fulcrum and operatively engaged with the opposite end of said cramping lever and movable to shift the cramping lever about such normally fixed fulcrum into and from rod-retaining position, but itself normally maintained in rod-retaining position, means operable at will to move the shifting means, and thereby the cramping lever, into rodreleasedposition, to enable lengthwise movement of the rod, means guiding said normally xed fulcrum for movement in a direction permitting swinging of said lever about said second lever fulcrum into rod-releasingr position, and means normally retaining said normally fixed fulcrum against such movement but yieldable to permit such movement thereof in response to a predeterminated external force in one sense on the rod which, through said lever, exerts a force on said normally xed fulcrum, to release the rod for movement in such latter sense.

2. Locking mechanism as in claim 1, including spring means biasing the shifting means to maintain the latter yieldably in rod-retaining position.

3. Locking mechanism as n claim 1, wherein the shifting means includes limited lost-motion means enabling final cramping movement of the lever independently of the shifting means, under the influence of external forces applied to said rod.

4. Locking mechanism as in claim 1, wherein the normally substantially flxed fulcrum includes limited lost-motion means enabling movement of the levers end engaged thereby in a direction, relative to such fixed fulcrum, generally opposite from that in which the latter moves to permit vrod-releasing swinging of the lever, thereby enabling nal cramping movement of the lever by swinging of said lever about the second fulcrum effected by force on the rod.

5. Locking mechanism as in claim 4, including also limited lost-motion means between the lever and its shifting means, operative in the sense opposite to the lost-motion means of the ilxed fulcrum, for enabling rod-effected bodily shifting of the lever without appreciable swinging thereof, in the direction of rod-release, until lost motion is taken up in the fixed fulcrum lost-motion means, whereby a further movement of the rod in the same direction causes yielding of the retaining means and rod-releasing swinging of the lever.

6. Locking mechanism as in claim 5, including further spring means biased to tend to take up the lost motion of the lost-motion means of the andsecured Vr released "'by said cramping 'lever fas lthelatter is-inciin'elforeisfmoreinearly perpen- 121e., nuence of a predetermined forceftrausmitted: from the .md uthrugh the flever; tu iisplace saidffuicrum Iandthelreluy to swirrgvshenlever abQut-Agthe Avnormal s levereshftingmeains tmxzaL-rds its. more, nearly, perpendicular A'md#releasing position.

9.- The locking, fmechanis'm f dene ain; claimf'? whereimthefwidthf of the:,=s1ot:isigrealterthanithe width fofA tleicamengagingthe esame. J Whenzsuh camogm-pies its rotated :jposton corresponding Y tog'rodfengagigng :position: of -the fcrampingrleyer,

theleby lto: proyidef-a= lostemotionzconnectiorrabee tween'thercam andglever. 

